Slicing machine with high-accuracy slice thickness

Abstract

A slicing machine has a blade, a stop plate extending parallel to the blade, and a carriage adapted to hold a sliceable product against the plate and displaceable past the blade to cut a slice from the product. A large-diameter disk is rotatable about an axis substantially parallel to the blade and is formed with a spiral groove. A follower coupled to the stop plate is engaged in the groove. A drive motor rotates the disk to displace the stop plate parallel to the blade axis. A small-diameter sensor wheel is positively coupled by a nonsmooth drive element to the disk. A sensor determines the angular position and rotation of the disk and generates an actual-value output corresponding thereto. A desired-value signal corresponding to a desired slice thickness is fed to a controller connected to the sensor and to the motor to make the output equal to the desired-value signal.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A slicing machine comprising: 
 a housing;    a blade rotatable on the housing about a blade axis;    a stop plate extending substantially perpendicular to the axis and parallel to the blade on the housing and oriented adjacent the blade;    a carriage adapted to hold a sliceable product against the plate and displaceable transversely of the axis on the housing past the blade, whereby a slice of the product will be cut from the product as it is moved past the blade by the carriage;    a large-diameter disk rotatable about an axis substantially parallel to the blade and formed centered on the disk axis with a spiral groove;    a follower coupled to the stop plate and engaged in the groove;    drive means including a motor coupled to the disk for rotating the disk and thereby displacing the stop plate parallel to the blade axis;    a small-diameter sensor wheel rotatable about a wheel axis generally parallel to and offset from the disk axis;    a nonsmooth drive element engaged over the disk and the wheel and positively coupling same together for joint rotation;    sensor means associated with the sensor wheel for determining the angular position and rotation of same and generating an output corresponding to the determined angular position and rotation;    input means for creating a desired-value signal corresponding to a desired slice thickness; and    control means connected to the input and sensor means and to the motor for comparing the output with the desired-value signal and operating the motor so as to make the output equal to the desired-value signal.    
     
     
         2 . The slicing machine defined in  claim 1  wherein the nonsmooth element is a toothed belt.  
     
     
         3 . The slicing machine defined in  claim 1  wherein the sensor means includes a potentiometer connected to the sensor wheel, the actual-value output being a resistance.  
     
     
         4 . The slicing machine defined in  claim 1  wherein the sensor wheel has an annular array of angularly equispaced perforations, the sensor means further comprising a photoelectric device aimed at the perforations for detecting same.  
     
     
         5 . The slicing machine defined in  claim 1  wherein input means includes a keypad.  
     
     
         6 . The slicing machine defined in  claim 1  wherein the input means includes: 
 a knob pivotal in two opposite directions, and respective switches operable by the knob on rotation in the directions for displacement of the stop plate in respective opposite directions.  
 
     
     
         7 . The slicing machine defined in  claim 6  wherein the knob is coaxial with the motor.  
     
     
         8 . The slicing machine defined in  claim 6  wherein the knob includes a start switch for the slicing machine.  
     
     
         9 . The slicing machine defined in  claim 1  wherein the input means includes a display for showing the desired-value signal.  
     
     
         10 . The slicing machine defined in  claim 1  wherein the input means includes means for calculating the desired-value signal based on product type.